This invention generally relates to a system for supporting buildings above ground surface, and is particularly directed to restraining the lateral movement of undergirders and building sections of mobile homes. The present support or brace system is so designed as to effectively eliminate the consideration of ground tremors and contour, as such conditions may adversely affect the integrity and stabilization of the mobile home.
Mobile homes or house trailers are typically erected off site of the home's setup location, on an undercarriage that consists of I-beams extending the length of the unit. Triangular shaped braces are usually installed perpendicular to the I-beams and adjacent to the underfloor of the mobile home. Once erected at the factory, these units and/or sectons are transported to the site location and then joined to make one, complete mobile home. The mobile home sections are often composed of a single, double, or quad-wide home when the erected sections are joined or fastened together. Experience has taught that the weakest structural points of the joined mobile unit is at the union where the separate sections are joined together.
In order to attain an adequate support for these mobile homes, jacks or piers serve to facilitate leveling of the mobile home. Seismic tremors and/or ground movement occasionally affect the lateral movement of one I-beam relative to another, and, thus, the lateral movement of one sectional unit to another. Such lateral shifts among the I-beams can cause the I-beams to slide off the supporting piers and may also cause separation of the mobile home's several sections. Historically, vibrations resulting in the lateral shifting of I-beams have caused these beams to fall off their piers effecting possible injury to the home's occupants, and/or destruction of content property, and/or structural damage to the mobile home itself.
It is, therefore, the general object of this invention to provide a support and bracing system for the undercarriage of a mobile home that can be expediently installed.
Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable tie-rod assembly between I-beams or piers attached to I-beams that support the undercarriage and join two sections of a mobile home together. Such a tie-rod assembly eliminates the structural weakness attendant to joining two or more sections of a mobile home together.
A further object of the invention is the provision of a device that will preclude lateral movement of the undercarriage I-beams by bracing such beams, one against the other.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a device that may be quickly and expediently installed on substantially any size mobile home.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a support assembly that is sturdy and durable in construction, efficient and reliable in function, and inexpensive to manufacture and use.
Other objects and advantages of this invention reside in the combination of elements, arrangement of parts, and features of construction, which will become more fully apparent as this description proceeds.